Lilium
by janayascarlet1
Summary: A powerful witch interested in anime decides to send her friend on a journey throughout the many fictional universes. Why Megaera thought it was a good idea to make Noa live as a human throughout most of them, no one except her knows. Although, she's probably just sadistic since she chose Diabolik Lovers as one of Noa's destinations.


The impact was stunning as Noa hit the ground and her head cracked against the marble floor. Stars momentarily burst to life in the darkness behind her eyelids before fading to complete blackness. Her surroundings became muted, dulling everything except the disorienting ringing resounding in her skull and the stabbing pain somewhere in her torso.

Even though the floor was unmoving beneath her, Noa was so dizzy that it felt like the world was rocking around her. The swaying motion was nauseating enough by itself and the thick taste of blood in her mouth - she'd been lucky enough to bite her tongue during the fall - only made it worse. Noa laid on her back as still as she could, trying to gather herself. The faster she regained her senses, the faster she could escape to safety.

Noa carefully blinked the grit from her eyes allowing her surroundings to slowly came back into focus. The incessant ringing in her ears finally stopped, replaced by an unnatural silence. Thanks to the heavy cloud of dust blanketing the area, there wasn't much to see. Though, Noa could taste the tart tang of some kind of explosive on the air, and smell something she was pretty sure was flesh burning.

She had just been walking through the mall, minding her own business while she window shopped and enjoyed the mindless daze that came with being in a big crowd. How did such a casual outing manage to escalate so quickly?

A shrill scream suddenly pierced the stillness, startling Noa and causing her to choke on a strangled gasp as the sting in her midsection flared. Pain radiated from the wound, constricting her heart and lungs with such a grip that she had to hold her breath, grit her teeth, and clamp her eyes shut in an attempt to ease it. Of course, none of that helped. If anything, Noa could feel the pain more acutely, throbbing along with her pulse and setting her nerves on fire.

Morbidly curious about what was hurting her, Noa creaked her eyes open, letting warm tears escape from the confines of her lashes, and glanced down.

 _Huh. Never been impaled before._

Noa's thoughts were distant as she stared at the large piece of metal jutting from her abdomen like an exclamation point. She was bleeding more than she thought she would and considering how her stomach was starting to swell, she was probably bleeding internally, too. Already, numbness was starting to attack her, beginning at her fingers and toes, and slowly working its' way to her heart.

What was this? Her seventh time dying?

A tentative relief welled up along with the blood. Noa knew if her soul slipped free from the flesh caging it she would win the game. She would be able to find her true body and be done with the ridiculous trials she was forced to face.

Her hope was short lived.

"How do you get caught up in these things, Noa?"

A familiar voice sighing in fond exasperation jerked Noa's gaze from her injury and up to meet smiling, pale brown eyes. She wasn't close enough to actually see them, but Noa knew there were even lighter flecks of gold in the irises, like little bubbles in champagne. The mere sight of those eyes blanked Noa's mind for a moment, making her ache with a different kind of pain.

"Your…fault," Noa managed to wheeze, as her deadened hands rose shakily to reach for Megaera, who sat placidly next to her.

Particularly to wrap around her slender throat and choke her for all the trouble she'd caused, but Noa felt the little strength she had waning and instead just managed to flip the witch the bird before her arms fell limply back to her sides.

"How was I supposed to know that someone would plant a bomb around here?"

 _I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you! You-_

"Bitch…"

"Now, that's just uncalled for."

Unable to say all of what was on her mind, Noa settled for spitting out a few mangled curses, wishing she had the energy to actually spit at Megaera. Sadly, she didn't so she could only hope that Megaera felt the full force of her hate. They had been close friends, once upon a lifetime. Blackmailing someone into suffering for your amusement typically ruined such a relationship.

"Well, no matter. You're dying again, so it's time to move you on to the next stage."

Megaera stroked a hand through Noa's hair while she talked, and that simple touch, what once had been a comforting gesture, made her skin shudder like it was trying to crawl away from the witch's offending fingers. Noa felt her chest clench again, but with anger instead of pain.

The witch had no right to touch Noa so casually. She had lost that privilege a long time ago and it disgusted Noa that Megaera still acted as if they were close.

"Try to be more careful this time around, okay? Can't have you actually dying on me, you know."

A blank stare was all Noa could give in response. By that point she was too numb to do much else. She couldn't even make one of her customary threats. As her vision darkened and the rattling breaths shaking her lungs quieted, Noa found the mental energy to sigh inwardly. She was getting real sick and tired of dealing with Megaera's bullshit.

* * *

In a different universe, a body jerked as its' previous consciousness was forced out and replaced by the witch's favorite toy.

A breath hissed out between Noa's new lips while she squinted her eyes through the headache throbbing in her temples. Her skin was tingling, hackles raised, and teeth set on edge. Blinking to clear her blurry vision and taking deep, slow breaths to help with her mild motion sickness (minor side effects from the forced transportation), Noa calmed quickly enough while her new body got used to her foreign energy.

The character she'd invaded had been sleeping in an uncomfortable slump against a car door and Noa could feel a crick starting to form in her neck. There was also a person laying against her side, pressed close enough to spill rose-scented, platinum blonde hair across Noa's face.

The pale strands tickling Noa's nose and the smothering warmth of someone huddled near was uncomfortable, so she slowly sat up, doing her best not to jostle the sleeping girl using her as a cushion. Noa had been carefully leaning the blonde away from her, when her new appearance caught her attention.

What was with Megaera's penchant for making Noa live as a high school student?

Because judging from what Noa could see in the reflection of her window, she looked too young to be in college. God, she was getting tired of constantly redoing the boring hell that was high school and being underage.

At least she looked somewhat similar to her original form. While the jet black color of her hair was different, the way it floated around her face in a thick cloud of corkscrew curls wasn't. And even though, the smooth, sandy hue of her skin was a good deal lighter, and the vibrant green of her eyes completely foreign, it was closer than usual to her old appearance.

It made Noa wonder if Megaera was trying a new tactic. What exactly the witch was trying to achieve with the lookalike, Noa couldn't say.

All it really did was make Noa miss her own body more. For a long time, she had hated how she looked, but constantly staring into a stranger's face when you were expecting your own never really got easier. There was also the fact that Noa was never truly comfortable in the bodies she was forced to inhabit. It was an unpleasant sensation; an incessantly taut feeling something like a pillow that had too much stuffing, or wearing clothes ten sizes too small. Swollen, strained, ready to burst at the seams at any moment.

"Oi, are you two going to get out of my taxi anytime soon? We're here."

The cab driver frowned at Noa in the rear view mirror before glancing anxiously back at the looming, black gate before them. Turned out the 'here' that the taxi driver had been talking about was a sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere. Just looking at it, there wasn't anything overly suspicious about the estate. What was a cause for concern was the ominous presence hanging over the property like a dark cloud.

"Ah, okay," Noa said belatedly, ignoring the quiet scoff that came in response, and called out to the blonde in an attempt to rouse her.

Luckily, it only took three calls of 'wake up, blondie,' before the girl began to stir.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Noa greeted as the girl sluggishly opened startlingly pink eyes to look blearily at her. "The nice taxi driver says it's time to get out."

"Oh!" The blonde jolted up. "I, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"What're you apologizing for? I was asleep, too."

The cab driver pointedly cleared his throat, eliciting a squeaked 'Sorry!' from the blonde and a yawn from Noa as they climbed out. Noa took a brief moment to stretch luxuriously, cracking her back and neck, and taking in the scenery while the other girl hurried around the car to grab her stuff from the trunk.

"Um, I got your bag for you, Ciro-san."

 _So that's my name now,_ Noa thought as she dropped her arms back to her sides and turned to look at the blonde approaching her. She was holding a blue duffle bag out to Noa, and had her own rolling suitcase gripped in her left hand.

"Thank you…" Noa trailed off, silently asking for the blonde's name. As she reached for the duffle bag, Noa saw a convenient name tag hanging from one of the straps.

 _Manon Ciro. Sounds kinda French. Megaera did always like that culture. Wonder why she chose a name like that since I'm in Japan again._

"My name is Komori Yui. It's nice to meet you, Ciro-san," Yui said over the irritating squeal that the taxi made as the driver pulled a sharp U-turn then sped off.

"Likewise. And Just call me Noa."

"Then you have to call me Yui," the blonde stated, a friendly smile overtaking her features.

"Sounds like we have a deal."

The two girls fell into an amiable silence as they approached the mansion spread out before them. It was magnificent, if a little old-fashioned, with a perfectly manicured lawn and a large water fountain seating a gargoyle planted in the middle of the grand walkway.

Any of the prettiness the mansion had was tainted by its menacing presence and if Noa could sense it, whatever it was had to be tied to death. She had been something of a Necromancer before her agreement with Megaera happened. Now she was basically a normal human, nowhere near as sturdy as she used to be. Noa couldn't purposefully take chances with her fragile body. One of the stupid rules Megaera put in place for her game was that Noa couldn't intend for herself to die, otherwise their deal was off, which was extremely irritating. Being completely alive was a bit of a limitation when your power was mostly focused on the dead.

One of the things Noa looked forward to the most was the day that she got back to her original form. No more discomfort or frailty or helplessness. Mainly, she couldn't wait to use her fully regained power to curb stomp that arrogant witch.

"Sooo, why are you here, Yui?" Noa asked as they slowly progressed down the path, hoping she could figure out why she was also at such a place.

"My Otou-san had business out of the country and couldn't take me with him."

Yui paused as a sad wistfulness put a wrinkle between her eyebrows. It was a look Noa was familiar with, and sympathy nearly made her reach out in an attempt to comfort the blonde. That in and of itself gave Noa pause. Consoling people, especially through touch, wasn't her first instinct even if she could understand what pained them. Noa found that urge odd enough to put a little distance between herself and Yui.

Unaware of Noa's more cautious gaze, Yui took a slow breath to calm herself before speaking again.

"I'm sorry…it's just that- I've never been apart from my Otou-san for very long and now I have to live with relatives I never even knew I had! I didn't even get a choice in coming here," Yui blurted, looking at the ground so she couldn't meet Noa's eyes. Flushed cheeks showed pale pink through her light fringe.

"Sounds stressful," Noa said lamely, unsure of what else to say, and Yui nodded, head still lowered in embarrassment.

"It is, but enough about me. Why are you here, Noa-chan?" Yui questioned while they climbed the front steps.

"I don't really know," the dark haired girl admitted calmly, the picture of nonchalance.

"How do you not know?"

Noa merely shrugged and reached for the door knocker, only to have the door swing open at her light touch.

"…That wasn't weird at all."

Noa took a step back, feeling as if the unwelcoming atmosphere around the mansion had grown.

Despite how the sun was still up and night had yet to encroach upon the land, the inside of the mansion seemed to be shrouded in darkness. Adding to the eeriness, the few flickering candles Noa could see in the wide entrance hall looked more like yellow-orange will-o-wisps, beckoning her from her safe path and into the belly of the beast.

"Are you going to go in, Noa-chan?" Yui asked, confused as to why Noa stood motionless before the doorstep, blocking the way. Apparently, heavy doors opening practically by themselves didn't seem odd to her.

"No."

Noa moved away from the entrance and took a hold of Yui's hand to try and coax her away as well. Whatever Megaera had in store for Noa this time seemed dangerous in a different way. The more Noa stood in the aura of the mansion, the more she could feel the underlying volatile energy.

Screw Megaera's plans. There was insanity in that manor and Noa wanted no part of it.

"We should leave. Something isn't right here."

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Please, just listen-"

A crack of thunder split the air, drowning out Noa's voice and causing Yui to jump. Rain immediately started to pour after the loud noise and Noa scowled at the suddenly gray sky. There hadn't been a single cloud above them just a few seconds ago and now there was a raging storm.

Noa would gladly walk through the heavy rain if it meant she didn't have to go inside the creepy mansion.

"We really should go, Yui."

"Inside? I agree."

Noa hoped Yui was being willful instead of oblivious. Whichever, it was the wrong time for either. She started to try and persuade Yui that going in the mansion was a bad idea, but the realization that she'd still been holding the blonde's hand made Noa release Yui like she'd been burnt. In the few seconds it took Noa to jerk away and stare dumbfounded at the fingers that had willingly reached out to someone else, the blonde entered the house, leaving her darker counterpart to stand in the rain alone and conflicted.

"You should come in, Noa-chan. You'll catch a cold out there, and it's not like we have many choices right now."

Yui stood scarcely a foot indoors, drier and warmer than Noa while she gestured for the dark haired girl to join her in the mansion.

 _If I follow her, what will she lead me to?_ Noa wondered as she gazed searchingly at Yui. The temptation to stay, to help, was strong and Noa had fallen for less noble causes. The only thing was, Noa couldn't let someone she barely knew lure her into what was, without a doubt, a death trap. Especially if that someone managed to effortlessly get around her dislike of touch. Megaera had to have a hand in whatever the deal with that was and that only called for trouble.

Yet as Noa made her decision to leave, she found herself wondering what would happen to Yui if she was left alone.

Yui, who looked like a paragon of innocence and virtue with her expressive face and halo of pale hair. She had no idea of the danger lurking in the house and wouldn't believe it if Noa tried to explain the gravity of the situation. Could she really leave Yui to face whatever hazard was in that house on her own?

Noa didn't know the answer and she didn't get a chance to find out.

"Excuse me."

Both girls started at the unexpected voice as a young man appeared before them, the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He looked refined, dressed in suit-like attire with his dark hair neatly combed and magenta eyes inscrutable behind black-rimmed glasses.

He also vaguely reminded Noa of a pigeon with the grayish hair and pinkish eyes.

"May I ask what you two ladies are doing here?"

His manner of speech was courteous and his expression pleasantly neutral. He would've been a picture perfect gentlemen had he been able to keep his condescension in check. His disdain was clear in the tone of his voice along with how he looked down his nose at them. While Noa saw how he obviously didn't want them there, Yui didn't.

"Uh, um, we're…supposed to live here…?" Yui said uncertainly, which caused the young man's brow to furrow into a faint frown.

"Is that so? I was not informed of this," he muttered, more to himself than to them. He turned his attention back to the two girls with a soft sound that was nearly a sigh. "First, do come in. It would be impolite of me to leave you out in the rain."

His gaze specifically fell to Noa, who was still standing soaked at the threshold.

Noa had a good guess as to what he was, and that slightly lessened her earlier tension since she had an idea of what she was dealing with. Only vampires had the same coldness, the same 'not life' that exuded from the person watching her so indifferently.

No, Noa amended silently as she met his stare with a civil smile, taking care to make sure that her scrutiny was unaggressive (because unnecessarily pissing off the vamp _probably_ wasn't a good idea). There was some interest in those eyes, though, it was the muted curiosity of someone finding a particularly peculiar bug.

 _The air around him feels…unstable,_ Noa thought and, as graciously as she could, accepted the vampire's invitation into the mansion. It was second nature to adopt a well-mannered attitude in response of one.

"Pardon the intrusion."

Noa stepped up beside Yui, partially shielding her. Of course going into a vampire's house was the last thing that the dark haired girl wanted to do, but considering her lack of power, her options were limited. Having to watch over Yui put Noa at even more of a disadvantage.

"My name is Ciro Manon and this is Komori Yui. Please take care of us."

Noa finished the introduction with a short bow and Yui quickly followed her lead. The young man inclined his head in a slight nod, like a rich lord deigning to greet peasants. Noa didn't appreciate the faux courtesy, but if she had to deal with it to stay alive she would.

"I am Sakamaki Reiji. Excuse me while I attempt to rectify this matter. Someone will attend to you shortly."

Without another word, Reiji strode out of the room and a butler melted out of the shadows. Shortly, indeed. He was an older gentleman with steel gray hair and a professional smile that was as bright and meaningful as a light bulb.

"Wh-Where did he even come from?" Yui whispered to Noa and the dark haired girl shot her a bland look as if to say 'that's what you're worried about?' before she realized that wasn't exactly fair to her shorter companion. Yui couldn't have known that they were walking into a vampire's nest.

"Good evening, ladies. How may I assist you?"

"I would like to dry off," Noa said after a brief pause.

With water trickling in a steady stream down her face and making her clothes cold and clingy, what else could she say? Noa couldn't see herself trying to escape from vampires while dripping a wet trail behind her. Wouldn't want to make the chase too easy for them.

"Very well. Allow me to escort you to the guest restroom. In the meantime, my colleague will see Komori-sama to the sitting room."

Two more butlers appeared out of the darkness, alike in how they were also older men, but that was where the similarities ended.

One of the butlers, a brunet going gray at his temples, moved towards Yui and greeted her with a cordial smile. The other butler was an icy blond that said nothing to either of the girls, only taking their luggage before disappearing from the entrance hall.

An awkward silence lingered between the two girls as they both took a moment to let their situation register.

"I'll wait for you in the sitting room."

Yui broke the quietness first, a hesitant tremor in her tone.

So, in her own way, Yui could see that splitting up wasn't a good idea. Maybe she did have some self-preservation instincts. Or she was just nervous about being alone in a house full of strangers, even though Noa was little more than a stranger herself.

Unfortunately, Noa couldn't think of how she could convince Yui to come with her to the restroom. She'd just come off as paranoid and crazy if she kept pushing it.

"I'll be there soon. Be careful."

Yui blinked at Noa's overprotective behavior and even though she nodded in acceptance, it was clear that she didn't actually take heed to the warning.

The two parted ways, directed by their respective butlers, and as Noa entered the obscenely decadent guest restroom, she hoped that neither of them would die.


End file.
